Artificial fish bait



March 14, 1950 c, w wA ARTIFICIAL FISH BAIT Filed Dec. 11, 1945 Im'w/ for CYQ/L 14/. WA/TE By @Mwi ih WWW Em Patented Mar. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATs T OFFICE Cyril W. Waite, Cleveland, Ohio Application December 11, 1945, Serial No. 634,243

This invention relates to refinements and, improvements in artificial lures and fish baits simulating the appearance of a live fish, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an intermittent structurally novel device of a luminous character which, while submerged, will increase its attractionproperties and usefulness.

A further object of the invention is to provide a luminous bait the lighting facilities of which will function intermittently, thus further increasing its purpose of attracting the fish.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel mechanism automatically actuated by the movement of the bait through water, whereby the intermittent lighting action of the luminous means will be effectively operated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clever and therefore unique bait wherein the source of luminous power includes simple dry cells such as can readily be replaced as required.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bait which is of sturdy construction, yet simple view such further objects as may be apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as shown in the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention partially broken away to show its mechanical structure. I

Figure 2 is a cross sectional detail of a contact plug.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the tail portion, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentaryside view partly in section and partly in elevation and showing a modified form in which the invention may be constructed. s

Figure 5 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Briefly, and by way of introduction to the detailed description, my invention has to dowith an artificial bait which simulates the appearance of'a fish and which is characterized by a translucent body portion and a tail hingedly connected to the tail end of the body portion. The body portion is provided with a longitudinal bore which defines a socket and a bulb and a plurality of dry cell batteries are positioned in the socket. In ad- 6 Claims. (Cl. 43--42.07)

dition, a battery assembling and retaining clip is located in the socket to hold the bulb and batteries in place. A water-tight closure is provided disk and said batteries, said tail having a cam finger which serves to close the circuit by way of said disk, clip, batteries and bulb upon swingable actuation of said tail.

Referring first to Figure 1, the invention comprises a suitable main body I to which is hingedly connected a freely flap-like tail 2. The body, particularly the forward end thereof, is made of suitable transparent or translucent material and is appropriately contoured, as shown, to simulate the appearance of a fish. A cylindrical bore I extends almost along the entire length of its longitudinal axis, which bore is reduced in diameter at the forward end to accommodate a small incandescent lamp or bulb 4. The bore 3 provides an open-ended socket and is designed to contain a pair of flashlight cells 5 and 6 placed end to end with the forward terminal I of the cell 5 pressing against the contact in the base of the bulb 4. Parallel with its axis and positioned upon the circumference of the bore 3 I provide a longitudinal recess 8 of essentially a semi-circular cross section. A current conductive clip 9 shaped, as shown, is positioned'in the recess with its forward lateral extremity l0 continually contacting the ground of the bulb 4. The clip 9 is of elongated U-shaped form and also provided with two pairs of circumferentially extending wings II which are designed to grip and retain the cells 5 and B in properly interrelated positions.

The open rear end of the bore or socket 3 is suitably threaded to receive a plastic or equivalent screw' plug l2 the structure of which will be further detailed in connection with Figure 2.

Provided at the rear end of the body I is a pair of vertically aligned hinge ears i3 carrying vertical hinge pins H to accommodate a pair of aligned hinge lugs IS, the latter being formed integrally with the tail 2.

Referring now to Figure 2, the screw plug I! is provided with an outwardly threaded shank l6 and contains a suitable recess to accommodate a suitably cemented fluid-tight resilient disk ll. The latter, in actual practice, may be in the form of a neoprene diaphragm. Referring again to the aforementioned current con- 3 ductor clip 3, it is to be noted that the right hand end thereof in Figure 1, as well as in Figure 2, is bent laterally as at l8 and the terminal is fashioned into a circuit make-and-break point I! of hook-shapedform which is arranged to press, when placed under pressure, against the adjacent end oi the dry cell 6. The neoprene which has sweeping contact with the disk. The finger serves to press the disk against the lateral contact element 33 which, in turn, is forced against the dry cell. located in the socket. In this arrangement I also provide a U-shaped conductor clip 35 which is fitted in the socket and which has opposite lateral wings 36 embracing disk or diaphragm I1 is such that it normally takes the straightposition seen in Figure 2. It is obvious',,however, thatsince said disk is flexible, it is forcedv into concavo-convex shape as shown in Figure 2 when the cam-finger 20 comes into play. In other words, since the camfinger 23 has wiping or sweeping contact with the disk, when the tail is swerved back and forth on its hinge pin, by action of the water, the disk I1 is intermittently dished and thus is pressed against the hook I 9, forcing the hook into engagement with the dry cell 6 and thus closing the circuit and lighting the lamp or bulb 3-.

Referring now to Figure 3, the tail 2 assumes the form of an arcuate flap' substantially as shown, the forw'ard end of which in addition to the hinge lugs l5 already referred to, also incorporates a contact finger 20.

The free ex tremity of the latter is somewhat angulated to act as a cam and projects'slightly beyond the center line of the lugs l5.

The body i is provided with the usual hooks 2| and also carries an eye 22 whereby the entire assembly may be connected to a'fishing line (not shown).

In the form of the invention set forth in Figures 1 to3, inclusive, the closure means for the outer, open end of the socket or bore is in the nature of a screw plug, as stated. The plug carriesthe flexible disk which is such that it may be pressed into concavo-convex form when put under pressure, and will assume its straight form (see Fig. 2) when not under pressure. Thus, the contact hook I9 is normally disengaged if the circuit is broken. Also the battery clip 9 is of general U-shaped form and one lateral end is thedry cell. The lateral right hand end portion of the clip, as indicated at 31, is connected with the base, the screw base of the bulb or lamp 33, the latter being arranged in the reduced fore portion of the socket to coact with the nose 24 and reflector lens 23. It is obvious that there are common structural characteristics existing. between both forms of the invention in that each embodies a socketed transparent body to accommodate a dry cell or dry cells and to accommodate a U-shaped conductor clip of metal, one end of the clip being connected with the bulb and suitably grounded, and the other end of the clip being fashioned into a convex element which is arranged for coaction with a embodiments of the invention the same is susconnected with the base of the bulb, the left hand is a bore 22 defining a socket, the inner closed end of which is reduced and provided with a convex reflector 23. The reflector is thus arranged in the socket inwardly of the convexed nose portion 24. The body is rearwardly tapered and provided with appropriate, diametrically opposite fins 25 and the left hand end .is reduced and screw threaded, as at 26, to pro-, vide a neck which accommodates the closure; means. The closure meanshere is in the form disk, clip, batteries and said bulb upon swingof a cap with an internally screw threaded rim 21 threaded on said neck. The cap is provided with a central opening and mounted in said cap in water-proof cement or the like is the pressure ceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what claim is:

1. An artificial fish bait simulating the ap-' pearance of a fish comprising a translucent body portion and a tail hingedly connected thereto, said body portion being provided with a longitudinal bore defining a socket, a bulb and a plurality of batteries positionedin said socket, a battery assembling and retaining clip in said socket, and a watertight closure for the outer open end of said socket, and including an insulated disk mounted therein, one end of said clip being continually grounded to said bulb and the other end thereof being positioned between said disk and said batteries, said tail having a cam finger serving to close the circuit by way of said able actuation of said tail.

2. An artificial fish bait simulating the appearance of a fish comprising a transparent body and a freely. swingable tail hingedly connected to the rear end of said body, the body beingprovided with a longitudinal socket, closed at the inner end and open at the outer end, a bulb, and a plurality-of batteries arranged for operation in said socket, the-wall of the socket provided with a longitudinal recess, a ,battery retaining clip removably keyed in said recess, watertight closing means attached to the body at the ,open outer end of said socket and including a fluid-tight spring diskcarried thereby and interposed between the same and the adjacent battery, one end of said clip continually contactapplying neoprene disk or diaphragm 28. The] cap'is provided with a hinge pin 29 to accommodate lugs or cars 30 on the hingedly mounted,' laterally swingable tail 3|. Here, again, the tail is provided with a central cam presser finger 32 ing said bulb and the remaining end thereof being positioned between said disk and said battery and normally spaced therefrom, and a cam finger carriedby said tail, said finger having pressure contact with the said disk in such manner that when the latter is flexed inwardly, it presses the last-named end of the clip against the coacting battery, thus closing the circuit.

3. The device as defined in claim 2, in which said body is provided with a pair of vertically aligned diametrically located stabilizer fins, and said tail is curvate and hinged on the trailing end of the body and is swingable laterally and horizontally to wipe said finger back and forth in pressure exerting contact with said disk.

4. In an artificial bait of the class described, a transparent body having a central longitudinal bore defining a socket, said socket being closed at its inner end and open at its outer end, the lastnamed end being internally screw threaded, a screw plug threaded into said last-named end, said plug being provided with a water-tight disk, the disk cooperating with said plug to serve as a closure for the open end of the socket, said disk being of resilient material, a tail provided at its inner end with lugs, and means mounting the lugs on the rear end of said body adjacent the screw plug and disk, the intermediate portion of the tail intermediate the lugs being provided with a projecting finger and said finger constituting a presser cam and being intermittently cooperable with said disk for pressing the disk into concave-convex form.

. 5. An artificial bait of the class described comprising a centrally bored transparent body, the bore constituting a socket, said socket being closed at its inner end and being provided with an internal reflector, the opposite end of the body being formed into a reduced screw-threaded attaching neck, a screw cap threaded on said neck, a tail hingedly mounted on said cap, and a flexibis disk mounted in said cap, said tail having a contact finger cooperable with said disk.

6. The structure specified in claim 5, together with a U-clip mounted in said socket and having means at its forward end adapted to support and be connected to the base of a bulb adapted to be disposed in said socket, said clip having lateral wings intermediate its ends, the opposite end of said clip having a lateral bend adapted for coaction with the disk and also with an adjacent end portion of the flashlight battery which is adapted to be removably supported in the clip. CYRIL W. WAI'I'E.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,009,968 Herrmann Nov. 28, 1911 1,627,512 Hughes May 3, 1927 1,855,015 Fraser et a]. Apr. 19, 1932 2,001,109 Petrie May 14, 1935 2,002,135 Barton May 21, 1935 2,165,734 Stracener July 11, 1939 2,217,565 Seigle et al. Oct. 8, 1940 2,237,534 Van Der Clute Apr. 8, 1941 OTHER REFERENCES Fishes in the Home, by Ida M. Mellon, publication of the N. Y. Zoological Society, 1931. (Copyright 1927, Dodd, Mead 8: Co., Inc.) 

